NEOWING is an unprecedented three-wheeled vehicle that offers the cornering feel and sporty ride equivalent to a large-sized motorcycle while realizing excellent stability in low-speed ranges. This vehicle is equipped with a hybrid system that combines a horizontally-opposed 4-cylinder engine and electric motors to generate plentiful torque for powerful acceleration. With the adoption of an original Honda linkage mechanism on its front wheel, this concept model proposes new values with advanced styling that emphasizes the mechanical fascination of a two-wheeled motorcycle model.
Not to be outdone by Honda's automotive offerings, Honda Motorcycles has plans to offer a glimpse of its future at this year's Tokyo Motor Show, which kicks off on 30 October.
With the radical Neowing, Honda gives a nod to its revered Gold Wing cruiser. Technical details are slight for now, but in its press release, Honda promises the bike will offer "the cornering feel and sporty ride of a large-sized motorcycle," suggesting the Neowing uses an articulated front suspension that allows it to lean into corners, not unlike like the Toyota i-Road city car. As the Goldwing did when it debuted in 1974, the Neowing uses a horizontally opposed four-cylinder engine, but it augments internal combustion power with electric motors that "generate plentiful torque for powerful acceleration."
It is difficult to imagine Honda replacing the two-wheeled Goldwing — of which the company has sold close to 650,000 in four decades of production — with a three-wheeler, but the Neowing does make a strong case for itself. The concept is a sharp response to the successful Can-Am Spyder, a motorbike which, thanks to its unflappable (dare we say, carlike) stability, continues to find favour with riders who wouldn't consider a two-wheeler. It's a segment of the market that's going nowhere but up.